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Saturday, 1 December 2012

Protect Yourself?

This week, I will be drawing from a little, self-published gem, New Zealand Naturally (Angela Oliver, 2012). This deck is RWS-based, and all the cards
show vibrant wildlife scenes from New Zealand.

Today's card, the Seven of Trees (Wands), shows
an owl swooping down on a couple of little, black birds. Based on the
RWS idea of fighting off what seems like overwhelming odds, the most
obvious interpretation is that the predatory owl is hunting the smaller
birds. Still, there are two of them against the single owl, so perhaps
the owl feels its territory is under attack.

This confusion
leads me to another idea often seen in traditional images: that the
threat may be more perceived than actual. Perhaps the owl is really
swooping down towards a mouse on the floor beneath the black birds.
Perhaps the birds eat such different things that they are no challenge
to the owl.

I've
been feeling rather defensive about the Celtic Lenormand again. In
part due to a blog post by another reader on the importance of
tradition, in part because I have been working on some of the more
spiritual aspects of the deck. This card reminds me that it is best to
just get on with my own thing, and stop worrying about what others say
or think!

I am sorry to hear you have fallen prey to the rigid expectations of the Lenormand purists. We went through this for years with tarot.

For years people wanted nothing but the Rider-Waite deck, and out-of-the-box readability, and they complained vociferously when people came up with new ideas and artwork. I laughed to see recently that people were complaining about the Dreaming Way Tarot as being too R-W. Fortuna's wheel turns again.

Shaheen Miro has just done up a really interesting Lenormand deck with extra cards--no doubt he will be lambasted for it by the purists. I will say to you what I said to him: I think people should do what they want and others stop foisting their dogma and ferocity of correctness on others.

You are working with the penultimate artist on cards that are really going to sing. You are creating, you are writing, and so is Will. Man, it's going to be good.

Yes, I had similar thoughts. Not that I experienced the RWS only thing, but it seems like, because Lenormand is just taking off in English-speaking countries, there's a defensiveness about it that a more well-established system doesn't have.

Thanks for the support, though, it is much appreciated! I will try to stay with my vision and enthusiasm :)

Don't let these people's opinions stifle your creativity. There are a lot of people out there who talk the talk, but you and Will are walking the walk. Keep striving forward with your vision. There are many of us who find this different look at the Lenormand interesting and refreshing.

I am not on Facebook but I can understand why you have the Celtic Lenormand page there.

You have a lot of information online already about the creation of the deck, perhaps you might consider keeping the rest under wraps until publication? Such self-containment will nurture the energy and passion you and Will have for the deck, yet people will still have some information available and some visuals.

That way you can avoid further reading and commenting and keep your vision and joy in the deck alive. I worry about you poisoning your spirit with this sort of thing.

It isn't necessary to continue talk about every detail and address every comment and critique. Truly, with all that you have shared, there isn't. Take care of YOU.

Thank you for your kind words and support, woley :) I was very struck by what you said about self-containment, and about poisoning my spirit. Probably won't stop posting entirely, but already I'm posting a lot less, both in quantity and in content. And I try to post non-contentious things. Though I've signed the Celtic Lenormand up for the Yule Blog Hop, so that will be a bit more in-depth. Still, in the new year I may drop down to posting once a fortnight... I shall think more on your wise words!